MELBOURNE forward Jacob van Rooyen will be available for selection in the club’s AFL season-opener this Sunday.
Van Rooyen was pulled from the Dees’ practice match against Fremantle earlier this month with a back spasm but has returned to full strength just in time for the afternoon clash against the Giants.
“Jacob had a back spasm in the first couple of minutes of the game, which was unfortunate for him, but he's recovered really well,” said Selwyn Griffith, Melbourne’s High Performance Manager.
“He fully trained last week and will be available for selection this week.”
Marty Hore was another unlucky Demon during the pre-season games, fracturing his hand in the hit-out against North Melbourne.
“Marty had surgery and is recovering from that at the moment,” Griffith said.
“It's day to day based on his function, but he has returned to running and some skill work.
“We're making sure that he's comfortable with contest and contact-based training to clear him, so he’s possibly available for this week, but we'll just progress him day to day.”
RD 1 | Injury Report
We spoke with Selwyn Griffith heading into Melbourne’s round 1 clash with GWS.
In disappointing news for recent recruit Jai Culley, the new Demon has been sidelined with bone stress in his foot.
“Following one of our VFL practice matches, Jai reported some foot soreness. His scans showed signs of bone stress, but thankfully there was no fracture,” Griffith said.
“He's been in a boot for a week and has come out of it successfully today, so he'll just start to reload and recondition across the next couple of weeks to look to be available in a few weeks’ time.”
Judd McVee and Jake Melksham have both had interrupted pre-seasons with hamstring injuries of varying levels, but will be looking to eye off returns to footy in the next month.
“Judd’s recovering from his hamstring strain from a few weeks ago and has returned to some skills-based conditioning and high speed running,” Griffith said.
“He'll look to ramp that up with training integration this week and continue to build forward over the coming weeks.
“Jake’s had a frustrating pre-season with a couple of hamstring injuries, but he's in a really good training block.
“He's been exposed to some high speed and sprint training, and then we'll integrate him into training this week, with the likely return in Round 3.”
Similarly, young Demon Koltyn Tholstrup has been sidelined for much of his February pre-season with bone stress in his back.
“Koltyn’s returned to running and some skill-based conditioning,” Griffith said.
“He's just in a reloading phase and reconditioning phase at the moment. He'll look to start integrating into skills end of this week and next week to then hopefully be available in the coming weeks.”
Luker Kentfield has made a return to the club in the past month after illness restricted his return from Perth over the December break.
“Unfortunately for Luker he had some illness over the Christmas period, which really compromised his ability to both travel, but then also to do any form of aerobic or physical training.
“He's returned to training since that and has recovered really well. Now he's just in a reconditioning phase to ensure that there's no real aggravation of his illness, but also that he's coping with the training intensities that are required for him to play.”
Andy Moniz-Wakefield (knee) and Shane McAdam (Achilles) are both recovering from their respective surgeries and have begun working with the rehab team to create the best plan forward across their next nine to 12 months.
Injury List
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Player | Injury | Estimated Return |
---|---|---|
8. Jake Lever |
Ankle |
Test
“Jake rolled his ankle just before three quarter time. He was able to get back out on the field and continue to play but then rolled it again close to the end of the game,” Griffith said. “With a short turnaround, it's just about managing that ankle from a swelling and function perspective, and we’ll look to progress him each day, with the hope for him to be available this week.” |
1. Steven May |
Larynx |
Test
“Steven saw the specialist on Saturday, and they were really happy with how he has recovered,” Griffith said. “The advice was that they'd be comfortable with him integrating into some training this week. “He'll look to main train on Thursday and then we'll determine his return to play from that session.” |
18. Jake Melksham |
Hamstring |
Test
“He’s had a great couple of weeks of training, both with intent and purpose,” Griffith said. “He'll integrate into main training this week with the look to be available for this weekend's game” |
27. Marty Hore |
Calf |
TBC
“Unfortunately for Marty in the last quarter he went to push off and felt pain in his calf. He's got a high-grade gastrocnemius strain” Griffith said. “Once he starts to recover and function has improved, we’ll have more of a framework on his return in the coming days.” |
6. Caleb Windsor |
Foot |
1 - 2 weeks
“Unfortunately for Caleb he spent a little bit of time in hospital with that infection,” Griffith said. “Now it's all about the wound healing component. It's unlikely he'll be available for this weekend, but we'll continue to progress him each day as his pain and function tolerates.” |
21. Matt Jefferson |
Hand |
1 - 2 weeks
“Unfortunately for Matt in that collision he fractured one of the bones in his hand. He had a consult with the surgeon yesterday and has had surgery today,” Griffith said. “He'll progress as quickly as the wound healing allows. We've dealt with some of those injuries in the past, so hopefully we'll see Matt back on the training track soon.” |
4. Judd McVee |
Hamstring |
2 - 3 weeks
“Jake and Judd both integrated into a little bit of training last week,” Griffith said. “Jake will be fully training this week in order to complete a match-load conditioning session on the weekend and is looking to be available from next week. “Judd is just a week behind him, so he'll progress into some more training this week and continue to work through his max-velocity exposures and skill-based exposures. He’ll hopefully be available in the coming weeks” |
12. Koltyn Tholstrup |
Back |
2 - 3 weeks
“Koltyn’s returned to running and some skill-based conditioning,” Griffith said. “He's just in a reloading phase and reconditioning phase at the moment. He'll look to start integrating into skills end of this week and next week to then hopefully be available in the coming weeks.” Read Article |
46. Jai Culley |
Foot |
2 - 3 weeks
“Jai’s returned to some straight line running this week and he'll get a little bit of skills in too,” Griffith said. “We'll look to progress him over the coming weeks’ time to fully be available in the next week or so.” |
44. Luker Kentfield |
Illness |
3 - 4 weeks
“Unfortunately for Luker he had some illness over the Christmas period, which really compromised his ability to both travel, but then also to do any form of aerobic or physical training. “He's returned to training since that and has recovered really well. Now he's just in a reconditioning phase to ensure that there's no real aggravation of his illness, but also that he's coping with the training intensities that are required for him to play.” |
23. Shane McAdam |
Achilles |
Season
“Shane went to accelerate during match play on Friday, and has unfortunately ruptured his Achilles tendon in the process. “This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for Shane, who was starting to get some real momentum and confidence in his body, following a strong pre-season. “Shane will meet with a surgeon in the coming days, with the view to undergo surgery. From here, we will have a greater understanding of what his recovery timelines will look like. “We will wrap our arms around Shane and fully support him throughout this next period.” Read Article |
45. Andy Moniz-Wakefield |
Knee |
Season
“Unfortunately, scans have confirmed what we all feared, with Andy to miss the season with an injury to his ACL, MCL and PCL,” Richardson said. “This is incredibly disappointing news for Andy, who has had a really strong pre-season. We have been so impressed by his attitude and will to get better, and he was starting to reap the rewards of his hard work. “Andy will undergo surgery in the near future, before beginning to work through his recovery. As a club, we will wrap our arms around him and make sure he is well-supported. “Despite being on the sidelines, we know Andy will still play an important role for us this season, particularly with the positive energy he brings to the club every single day.” Read Article |
8. Jake Lever
“Jake rolled his ankle just before three quarter time. He was able to get back out on the field and continue to play but then rolled it again close to the end of the game,” Griffith said. “With a short turnaround, it's just about managing that ankle from a swelling and function perspective, and we’ll look to progress him each day, with the hope for him to be available this week.”
1. Steven May
“Steven saw the specialist on Saturday, and they were really happy with how he has recovered,” Griffith said. “The advice was that they'd be comfortable with him integrating into some training this week. “He'll look to main train on Thursday and then we'll determine his return to play from that session.”
18. Jake Melksham
“He’s had a great couple of weeks of training, both with intent and purpose,” Griffith said. “He'll integrate into main training this week with the look to be available for this weekend's game”
27. Marty Hore
“Unfortunately for Marty in the last quarter he went to push off and felt pain in his calf. He's got a high-grade gastrocnemius strain” Griffith said. “Once he starts to recover and function has improved, we’ll have more of a framework on his return in the coming days.”
6. Caleb Windsor
“Unfortunately for Caleb he spent a little bit of time in hospital with that infection,” Griffith said. “Now it's all about the wound healing component. It's unlikely he'll be available for this weekend, but we'll continue to progress him each day as his pain and function tolerates.”
21. Matt Jefferson
“Unfortunately for Matt in that collision he fractured one of the bones in his hand. He had a consult with the surgeon yesterday and has had surgery today,” Griffith said. “He'll progress as quickly as the wound healing allows. We've dealt with some of those injuries in the past, so hopefully we'll see Matt back on the training track soon.”
4. Judd McVee
“Jake and Judd both integrated into a little bit of training last week,” Griffith said. “Jake will be fully training this week in order to complete a match-load conditioning session on the weekend and is looking to be available from next week. “Judd is just a week behind him, so he'll progress into some more training this week and continue to work through his max-velocity exposures and skill-based exposures. He’ll hopefully be available in the coming weeks”
12. Koltyn Tholstrup
“Koltyn’s returned to running and some skill-based conditioning,” Griffith said. “He's just in a reloading phase and reconditioning phase at the moment. He'll look to start integrating into skills end of this week and next week to then hopefully be available in the coming weeks.”
Read Article46. Jai Culley
“Jai’s returned to some straight line running this week and he'll get a little bit of skills in too,” Griffith said. “We'll look to progress him over the coming weeks’ time to fully be available in the next week or so.”
44. Luker Kentfield
“Unfortunately for Luker he had some illness over the Christmas period, which really compromised his ability to both travel, but then also to do any form of aerobic or physical training. “He's returned to training since that and has recovered really well. Now he's just in a reconditioning phase to ensure that there's no real aggravation of his illness, but also that he's coping with the training intensities that are required for him to play.”
23. Shane McAdam
“Shane went to accelerate during match play on Friday, and has unfortunately ruptured his Achilles tendon in the process. “This is an incredibly disappointing outcome for Shane, who was starting to get some real momentum and confidence in his body, following a strong pre-season. “Shane will meet with a surgeon in the coming days, with the view to undergo surgery. From here, we will have a greater understanding of what his recovery timelines will look like. “We will wrap our arms around Shane and fully support him throughout this next period.”
Read Article45. Andy Moniz-Wakefield
“Unfortunately, scans have confirmed what we all feared, with Andy to miss the season with an injury to his ACL, MCL and PCL,” Richardson said. “This is incredibly disappointing news for Andy, who has had a really strong pre-season. We have been so impressed by his attitude and will to get better, and he was starting to reap the rewards of his hard work. “Andy will undergo surgery in the near future, before beginning to work through his recovery. As a club, we will wrap our arms around him and make sure he is well-supported. “Despite being on the sidelines, we know Andy will still play an important role for us this season, particularly with the positive energy he brings to the club every single day.”
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